Recovering
by Revolutionary Venom
Summary: The sequel to "A Jewel's Facets".
1. Duke's Thoughts

Aft'anoon Gov'nah! ^-^ Here's another story! It's the sequel to "A Jewel's Facets", so be prepared for another Duke story, though all the ducks get their own chapter with him. So sit back and relax!

P.S. Any ideas what kind of movies Duke would like? I would guess Action, Suspense/Mystery, or just anything with a good heist in it. Opinions?

Disclaimer: I don't own MD:TAS. If I did, I'd be rich.

* * *

Duke woke up, laying back on doubled pillows, for once not feeling too much pain upon awakening.

_Another day to be stuck around in bed,_ the ex-thief gloomily thought. He rubbed his good eye with his right hand, rubbing the sleep particles away. Looking at the clock on the built-in shelf of his bunk as he grabbed his eye patch, Duke noticed that he had woken up fairly early. _Oi, 9am. That's better than my wake-up time this whole week,_ he thought, slipping his patch on with his good hand.

Tanya would be coming in about another hour or so. She usually brought breakfast for him and a pot of coffee, would check on his injuries, and then they'd work on whatever crossword puzzle he'd pick out of the giant book of them that she'd bought as a present.

Duke smiled a little, straightening his patch. He loved the fact that the others were visiting him since he had woken up from his comatose state almost two weeks ago. Not because he wanted them to feel guilty or anything, but because it assured him that they cared. The others were the closest he had to a family…the closest he had _ever _had, now that he thought about it.

But that was a story for another day.

Since there was still another hour or so until Tanya made her way to his room, he figured that he better clean up some. So he sat up and swung his legs around so they touched the floor, wincing a little as he did. His chest still hurt a lot whenever he did small things; puck, even _breathing _hurt.

But he managed to get up and make his way over to his dresser which held his clothes. He was thanking the Mother of All Ducks that he had put pajamas, underwear, and the like in the topmost drawer so that he didn't have to bend over for anything. So he opened the top drawer and pulled out an old pair of black sweatpants (well, as old as they could be considering they were bought when the ducks arrived on Earth). He then went back to the bed and sat down.

Now, considering the fact that he had not sustained any injuries on the lower half of his body, (or rather, very minor ones…just bruises mainly) Duke found it easy to remove his current pajama bottoms and put on his sweatpants with the one arm that wasn't in a sling.

After managing that feat, he realized his hair probably looked like _crap._ So he got back up, the pajama bottoms in his hand and headed back to the dresser. He tossed the pants into a laundry basket and started looking at his hair. _Wow,_ he thought. _Despite not stylin' it for awhile, it doesn't look half bad. _So he combed out his hair, styling it to his usual style, and smiled to himself in the mirror.

Well, for only a few seconds anyway. He looked at the bandages that were still wrapped around his chest and left shoulder, the piece of gauze that had been taped to the side of his forehead (apparently, Tanya said that what was originally there didn't need to be there anymore, but something still needed to cover a few stitches in that particular place,) and his casted arm in the sling. Despite the fact that he was healing, he still looked terrible. And the few places where some stitches had been taken out were now leaving scars, the most noticeable (and largest) one being on his right shoulder. It went from his front to his back, like someone had taken a knife and just slit a jagged line.

_Great, more scars to add to my collection_, Duke thought sarcastically. He walked back to his bed, sat down, and laid back on the pillows, sulking a bit.

The ex-thief could handle being injured. It was a trial for a thief whenever they got hurt. How else had he endured when his eye had been damaged so long ago? Or when his bill had been chipped? Though the chipped bill had been harder for him to swallow after it had happened because Falcone had been the one to do that bit of damage. And now, here he was later in life, having gotten hurt once again by that two-faced son of a Saurian.

And that made his morning a tad more miserable.

Suddenly, his vision started to blur a little bit. Duke shook his head to clear it, but it didn't go away. _What the-?_

He felt odd and his side felt like it was burning a little. He was about to reach for his comm to call for Tanya-


	2. Tanya's Role

HAI. Just back for a quick break from SPRING BREAK. I'm in between trips to the "middle of nowhere", so I figured while I could give you guys this while I had internetz.

P.S. What kind of topics do you guys think Grin would brush up on when talking to Duke?

P.S.S. I'm still attempting the "slight-Brooklyn accent". It's still hard as Hell to write...

Disclaimer: I don't own MD:TAS. If I did, I'd be rich

* * *

Tanya knocked on Duke's door with her right hand as a tray of breakfast was balanced on her left. "Duke, you awake?" She figured that he wouldn't be, seeing that it was only nine forty-five and he hadn't been waking up lately until well after ten thirty or so. But she figured that it was polite to ask anyway.

When no answer came through the door, she pressed a button on the keypad next to the door to let her enter. The door 'whooshed' open, and she entered. Placing the tray on a table in front a couch nearby, she looked at his bunk to see Duke in bed, facing the wall.

_Figured he'd still be asleep,_ she thought, making her way over to the side of the bunk. Placing a hand on his shoulder, she shook him a little. "Duke, wake up," she said. "I've got breakfast-"

Then she noticed something wrong about this picture. The ex-thief was laying on his left side - where Falcone had given him the horrendous wound - while his right arm was laying on the bed, looking as if he had been in mid-reach for something on his bunk shelf.

"Duke?" Tanya asked, confused about this. She shook him a little harder. "C'mon Duke, this isn't funny."

She heard a groan come from him after a few minutes. His red eye opened and he looked towards her. "Tanya?" he asked. "How'd you get here?"

"The door," she replied, rolling her eyes. "Are you feeling alright?"

Duke groaned again as he tried to turn over onto his back and succeeded. He looked at her, not looking so great. "Mornin'," he greeted. "And not really. My side's kinda…burnin'."

_Burning?_ thought Tanya. She placed a hand on the drake's forehead. "Well no wonder," she said, taking her hand away and bring her Omnitool up to check his temperature. "You've got a fever. Now let's see how - uh - high it is."

After a few moments, the wrist instrument came up with a reading. Tanya whistled. "You've got a temperature of 102," she said. _But why would he have a fever?_

She thought for a moment as Duke closed his eyes. "Duke, let's check your side and see if it's infected."

Duke half-opened his eyes and sat up as Tanya flipped her comm open. "Grin, can you hear me?"

Grin's face appeared over the communicator. "Might I inquire what the trouble is?" he asked.

"Can you bring a First Aid kit to Duke's room?" she asked. "I need to check his side, but I'm gonna need new bandages and gauze when I'm done." She thought for a second. "And probably some - uh - peroxide to clean it with."

"I shall be with you momentarily." With that, Grin's face disappeared from the communicator and Tanya closed her own.

Duke turned around on the bed so his body could face her, but his eyes were still only half-open as she looked at him. As a small cutting knife popped out of her Omnitool, she said, "Alright, I'm going to cut off these bandages since I gotta - uh - change 'em anyway."

When the ex-thief simply nodded, she began to cut off the old dressings. It didn't take long before she was through, and by the time she was done, Grin had come and gone with the First Aid kit that she had asked for.

Tanya took all the old bandages that she had just cut off (along with the _slightly _bloody gauze that had been covering the slash that Falcone had given him) and placed them on the floor. She then took his arm out of the sling so she could get a better access point, opened up the kit next to her and pulled out some gloves that were in it. "Okay Duke, you can lay back down now, but do so on your right side," she told him.

He did as he was told, laying his arm down on the bed, and closed his eyes again, feeling more tired than earlier. When Tanya started probing (with gloved hands) at the gash on his side, he winced a few times. Once or twice, he even gritted his teeth because it _hurt_. And he wasn't even sure why. Puck, the ex-thief hadn't even felt anything until he had laid back down again earlier. Why was he feeling so bad now?

After a few more minutes, Tanya quit poking at the wound, pulling out a cotton ball and the peroxide. "Well, it's definitely an infection," she told him as she began to clean his side. He hissed as she cleaned. "That would - y'know - explain your fever." Then she glared at him as she continued to clean. "Have you been doing more than you're supposed to?"

"Not really," he said, keeping his teeth clenched.

Tanya looked at him in disbelief, then finished cleaning the wound. "If you say so," she said, taping fresh pieces of gauze on the gash.

Duke sat back up as Tanya began to dig through the kit for new bandages, when he realized something really important.

"Hey Tanya?"

"What is it?"

"I nev'a got to thank you."

Tanya looked up at him, a tad confused. "For what?" she asked.

"For savin' my life."

When the female duck just stared at him, not knowing where he was going with this, he began. "These marks on my chest-" he pointed to the two healed burn marks on his chest where his feathers were coming back in "-weren't there before. The only way they could've gotten there was by burnin' the feathers off with somethin'. And since the only thing I can think of that can do that is those paddles you keep in the Infirmary, I'm guessin' that you had to use 'em."

Actually, he knew perfectly well that she had had to use them and for two reasons: one, because he had heard the monitor flat line before his world went black during his comatose state, and two being that Wildwing had told him a bit later on.

"So I wanted to thank you," he said, finishing up. "For takin' care of me and bringin' me back."

Tanya looked at him for a minute, stunned as she felt her face heat up a little. Then she smiled softly. "You're welcome," she simply said, bringing the bandages up to his chest and began wrapping him back up…

_**RVRVRVRVRVRVRV**_

Tanya took one last look at Duke when the doors of his room opened. He was laying back down, new bandages around his chest and arm back in its sling, drifting in and out of sleep.

The team tech smiled. After finishing with the rest of the wound check, she let him eat breakfast (she had brought French Toast made by Mallory today), and they worked for a little while on a crossword that had been started a day or so ago before Duke started getting tired. Figuring that it was the fever that was making him feel that way, Tanya thought it would be best for him to get some rest before the next guest got to come.

So she looked back at him and smiled. She hadn't thought that he would've ever known about flat lining back in the Infirmary, but after he said that, she figured out that Wildwing must've said something.

In all honesty, she hadn't been expecting a 'thank you' from anyone, least of all Duke. She hadn't even thought of it; being the team tech/medic was sort of her job, just as it was Wildwing's to be the leader. So it had shocked her when the ex-thief has given his appreciation.

With those thoughts, she turned and left the room.


	3. Nosedive's Movies

HAI A-GAIN. Here this is, one more chapter before I head back to the middle of nowhere. But since I'm taking my computer with me (damn English paper...), I'll probably have another chapter or two for you all when I get back.

P.S. I have never actually seen "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen", but I want to.

Disclaimer: I don't own MD:TAS or any movies mentioned in this chapter. If I did, I'd be rich

* * *

Nosedive peeked into the room after Duke's door opened.

Tanya had told everyone that the older drake had been sleeping when she left almost two hours before and that his side was infected. That had alerted the leader of the team a bit, but Tanya had assured Wildwing that Duke just needed to rest. The teenager wasn't sure why his brother would be upset over the fact, but shrugged it off. Maybe it just had to do with the fact that the former jewel bandit had just come out of his coma not long ago and they weren't expecting anything else to happen.

So Dive gathered up a few movies he had recently gotten and decided that it was his turn to visit since he was meeting Mookie and Thrash later in the day. He figured that Duke was going to like the movies he had bought, considering the ex-thief liked movies with a good heist or something that related to literature. The last movie they had watched 'The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen', had been a good movie for the two of them to comment on the whole time since the characters were based off human literature and Duke had acquired a taste for it.

"Duke?" Nosedive asked, looking a bit more into the room. "You awake in there?"

"Have been for awhile," a voice from the bunk answered. Duke opened his eyes and yawned. "Just been so bored, I tried to go back to sleep."

The youngest smiled and entered the room, pulling a chair away from the wall and bringing it to the injured teammate's side. "Well, I've got some good movies today," Dive said, pulling some movies from a bag he was carrying. "I've got 'The Godfather', uh…" he picked up another movie. " 'Pulp Fiction', and 'Raiders of the Lost Ark'. Which one sounds the best?"

Duke thought for a minute. "How about 'The Godfather'?" he suggested. "Sounds like it's mob-related."

"Actually, it is," Nosedive said, putting the other two movies down. "I heard about it from Thrash. Says it's the ultimate movie or something like that."

Duke smiled sadly at the kid as Nosedive went over to the TV that had been set up in the room and put in the movie. The older drake had noticed old bruising around the teenager's right arm where his elbow joined the two parts of his arm. Duke had dual feelings whenever he saw the bruises: one, he felt bad that the kid had been the one to have to give blood. Two, he felt happy that Nosedive had given him his life back since he didn't have to donate. Puck, if the kid hadn't of volunteered or if Wildwing had said no, the ex-thief probably wouldn't be alive right now.

"Hey Dukester! You awake in there?"

The former jewel thief was snapped from his thoughts when he noticed that Nosedive had taken his seat and the movie previews on the tape were playing. "Sorry kid," he apologized. "I was just thinkin' 'bout somethin'."

Nosedive looked at him funny. "Like what?" he asked.

Duke sighed, then spoke. "I wanted to say…sorry. And thanks."

The teenager looked thoroughly confused. The look made Duke smile, realizing just how innocent the kid could be sometimes. "You helped save my life. Donating blood was a big deal in the Brotherhood, since we could hardly ever get any otherwise and usually the other members refused donations when they got hurt, or just refused to donate at all. So…thanks kid."

Nosedive looked somewhat embarrassed. "…how'd you know?" he finally asked.

"Your broth'ah," Duke lied, smiling. The ex-thief couldn't tell the younger one that he had heard the whole thing when he had been in his comatose state. "And your bruises on your arm kinda say somethin' too."

The teenager quickly looked at his right arm and cursed himself. When he usually went to visit Duke, he would put on long sleeves under whatever shirt he was wearing or put on a jacket. But he had forgotten today, so they were showing, though the bruising was almost gone. Dive hadn't wanted the older drake to see the marks to show what he had done because he was sure he would get embarrassed by the discussion.

"You saved my life y'know."

Nosedive looked back at Duke. He studied the ex-thief's face, only to see an expression of thanks. The younger one smiled, still feeling slightly awkward. "No problem," he said, looking away to the TV screen…

_**RVRVRVRVRVRVRV**_

Nosedive walked out of the room nearly three hours later, the door closing behind him. He wandered off to his room, thinking about what the older mallard had said to him.

No one had ever thanked him for saving their back or helping them. Not from the time he was a duckling to now, on a Resistance team. He had eventually gotten used to not being thanked when he would help other kids his age (which is probably why he had ended up spending almost every single waking minute with Wildwing after he turned six or so,) and hadn't even given it a second thought when he and his brother went with Canard into the Resistance.

So this was a first for the teenager. When he had volunteered to give blood, he hadn't been expecting Duke to ever know about it or to receive a 'thank you' for doing what he did. And the look on the ex-thief's face when he said that Wildwing had told him didn't look like he was telling the truth; but Nosedive wasn't about to question that.

If there was something to tell, Wing would explain it later.


	4. Grin's Reflection

HALLO! Sorry, this chapter took a little longer to get out, mainly because I just couldn't get myself into Grin's perspective. When I finally did, I had to do some research on auras, herbal tea, and some other stuff. I've actually learned some stuff from my research on metaphysics

P.S. Why do they call plain cookies "tea cakes"? My mom makes them and calls them that, saying my great-great-great grandma brought the recipe from Germany. But somehow, I kinda doubt it...

Disclaimer: I don't own MD:TAS. If I did, I'd be rich

* * *

Grin was the next up in visitors; he came about an hour after Nosedive had left, with a tray that held what Tanya had called "afternoon snacks". All it really was though was a pot of herbal tea for himself and Duke to share, mugs, and along with them a snack that the team tech provided. What did she call it again? Oh yes, tea cakes.

Why they were called that, the larger drake would never know, since these didn't have to be eaten with tea. And they just looked like plain cookies, not anything like cakes.

As the door to Duke's room opened, Grin asked, "Are you awake friend?"

"I'm awake," the ex-thief's voice called from his bunk. "I've been readin' is all."

Grin could hear a book closing as he made his way to his injured teammate's bedside, pulling a small, moving table along with him (Tanya had thought it would be best to have one of these rolling things in the room for Duke since he wasn't supposed to be out of bed). The larger drake placed the tray on the table and pulled over a seat when he had the items next to Duke. "I have a different tea for you today," Grin said, pouring a mug.

"Don't you usually have a different one everyday?" Duke asked, a hint of amusement in his voice and a smile on his face.

"Technically yes," Grin said, pouring the drinks. "But this is one meant for health; it will help you recover from your illness while I can keep my wellbeing the same."

The former jewel thief eyed the cookies as well. "Those wouldn't happen to do anythin' for my health too, would they?" he asked, still smiling. Grin merely chuckled, handing a mug to his friend. "Not that I am aware of," he answered.

Duke took the mug and slipped it into his left hand (which was a little hard considering it was in a cast and sling) so he could grab a cookie with his good hand. He took a bite into the plain cookie and chewed.

"Huh," he merely said after swallowing. "Not the taste I would have imagined." But he just shrugged and took another bite as Grin sipped his tea, smiling.

After a few moments, the former jewel thief spoke. "Hey Grin?"

"Yes?"

"I…I dunno what you did durin' the time I was out, but-"

"You do. You just don't want to say it."

Duke looked at him in surprise. "Wha?"

Grin smirked. "I know that you were aware of everything that was going on," he answered. "A person's aura changes in each stage of life or whatever condition they are in."

When he noticed that the older drake looked confused (like whenever Nosedive and Grin got into whether or not Bernie the Bear was in fact a bear or not,) the Zen-oriented duck continued. "Before, when you were walking to the Aerowing and before you collapsed, the air around you was that as it normally is. But after you did pass out, your aura was…clouded. Different than yours is normally. Over the week it stayed the same."

Duke waited for him to continue. When he didn't, the ex-thief merely said, "And…?"

Grin placed his mug down. "When you threatened to leave us, I couldn't feel your presence anymore," he said, a bleak look on his face. "I was just as afraid as the rest that you had indeed left us."

"You?" Duke asked, a look of disbelief on his face. "You hardly ev'a afraid."

Grin sighed. "It may seem that way friend," he said. "But I try to understand it."

"What do ya mean?"

"What is needed, rather than running away or controlling or suppressing or any other resistance, is understanding fear; that means, watch it, learn about it, come directly into contact with it. We are to learn about fear, not how to escape from it," Grin answered. When Duke looked a tad confused, the other answered, "A quote from Jiddu Krishnamurti."

"Ah," the ex-thief simply answered. "So you knew the entire time that I was aware of stuff goin' on around me?"

The larger drake nodded. "After you came back to us, your awakening brought on a much brighter air than it had been the entire week," he continued. "So I knew you were with us once more."

A silence hung in the air for a few minutes. Then, Duke spoke again. "You haven't told the oth'ahs, have you?"

"No friend," Grin answered. "Only Wildwing knows." When he noticed that the other drake was surprised, Grin smiled. "I accidentally overheard your conversation when you woke up. I had come down to investigate when I heard your voices through the door."

"…thanks for not tellin' Tanya, Mallory, and the kid."

Grin nodded. "You are most welcome."

_**RVRVRVRVRVRVRV**_

The larger drake left Duke's room after another hour and a half. Not much had been said after the conversation about how Grin had known about Duke's "condition" when he was practically comatose. They had simply spent time, taking in each other's company and munching on the snacks Tanya had provided.

Grin smiled. He knew that if he had told his friend about how it was that he knew about the "awareness" (as Grin called it,) that Duke would be surprised. He also figured that the ex-thief wouldn't want him to tell the girls or Nosedive about what only Wildwing and Grin knew.

In a way, they were alike. Both Grin and Duke had had hard times in their life in which someone or something had turned them around. In the case of Grin, his temper being horrible due to a terrible family life up until he had found Master Tai Quack Do, whereas Duke's was a little later in life with the Brotherhood of the Blade, then reforming when joining the Resistance.

_Kindred spirits,_ Grin merely thought.


	5. Mallory's Question

HAI! Well, I can easily say that this is the longest chapter thus far in this story. You all also get to hear MY take on how Duke got the damaged bill! Won't that be fun?

*hears nothing but crickets*

...ya well...just read!

P.S. Despite the fact that this is my take on how it happened, I did do a little research by watching "To Catch a Duck" for the ump-teenth time. Mainly I was just listening for dialogue that would help me, like Falcone's lines against Duke or whatever

DISCLAIMER: I don't own MD:TAS, Scrabble, Monopoly, or the game of chess. If I did own one or all, I'd be rich

* * *

"Gin."

"Aw c'mon sweetheart, that's…the fourth time in a row!"

Mallory smirked. "I can't help it if you stink at the game."

The red-head of the group had come to visit Duke almost as soon as Grin had left, a deck of cards in a pouch on her belt. Whenever she came to visit, she'd usually bring cards or the occasional board game, like Scrabble, Monopoly, or even the chess board that the ducks kept in the Rec Room.

Today however, she was in a card-shark mood.

So the card games commenced.

Duke frowned as he handed over the grappling hook he occasionally wore on his wrist. Mallory took it and placed it with the other three items she had won; his communicator, a puck launcher he kept by his bed, and one of the supply carriers he usually wore over his left shoulder. As Mallory shuffled the cards, she asked, "What do you want to play now? I'm kinda sick of Gin."

The ex-thief thought for a moment. "How 'bout War?" he suggested.

Mallory started dealing the cards. "Alright, but this time if I win, I want the answer to a question. And no matter what it is about, you have to answer."

"Alright," Duke said warily. "What's the question?"

Mallory just grinned. "After I'm done winning, I'll ask," she answered.

So the game of War went on. After about half an hour, she had won. It sort of made Duke mad that he was losing so much, but he knew that it was a challenge in of itself to go up against Mallory when playing cards.

The red head was re-shuffling the cards, just for something to do. She looked at Duke. "Alright, you want to know what my question is?"

The former jewel thief half-shrugged. "Guess so," he answered. "What is it?"

Mallory placed the cards down on the rolling table before asking something Duke wouldn't have thought about.

"…Exactly how did you get that chip in your bill?"

Duke's breathing hitched. "Why would ya wanna know about that?"

"I said 'no matter what', remember?" she reminded. "You have to answer."

The ex-thief sighed. "Yeah, I rememb'ah," he answered. He averted his gaze however, as the red head sat in her chair, waiting for him to answer.

"So…?" she asked after awhile.

He took a deep breath, then looked at her. "First off, you gotta promise that what I'm 'bout to tell you will _nev'ah_ leave this room," he said.

Surprised, Mallory nodded, wondering what was so bad that he was making her keep it a secret (not that she would probably ever find the need or want to tell anyone else, but still…)

"Second is that I think you deserve to hear the truth," Duke said. "Nosedive asked me that night after he had his appendix taken out how I got this particular 'scar', and I told him it was syphilis. He probably doesn't rememb'ah anymore since he was still kinda out of it that night-"

"Why syphilis?" Mallory asked.

Duke shrugged again. "First thing that came to my mind," he answered. "I didn't really wanna tell him, so I just made up the first thing that came up into my mind." He sighed. "So I guess I finally have to tell someone."

Mallory sat in her chair, waiting for an answer. When it came, she was shocked.

"Falcone gave me this chip in my bill."

"…w-what?"

"It happened a long time ago. Kind of a 'pre-greatest jewel thief' moment," he explained. "In the Brotherhood of the Blade, when the leader of the pack or the head guild members think someone is ready for their first heist - or really, whateva - they'd pair up two people who they think will work well togeth'ah.

"That's when I first met Falcone. I didn't really know him, only some rumors and stuff from the oth'ah members about his skills. Our first assignment togeth'ah was to steal from an exhibit that was in town at the time, though I can't even rememb'ah what the item was now."

Duke paused for a minute, Mallory just taking in what he was telling her.

Then he continued.

"So we were at the exhibit, sometime aft'ah midnight when everyone was gone. We had both snuck in, were standin' in front of whateva we were stealin'. I managed to cut the glass big enough to where one of us could reach their hand inside the case and just take the item; there wasn't a whole lot of security back then, not like what they do here on Earth or back home. So I reached in and took it. We were both sort of revelin' in our victory - I guess, - when he decided to bring out that sword of his. I asked him what the puck he was doin', bringin' it out when we had just gotten the item without any problems.

"That's when he started the duel that began his career as a two-faced son of a Saurian."

Duke paused again, putting his good arm over the one that lay in its sling. The ex-thief was starting to feel a little unbalanced, but he knew it was because he didn't look at the past that often.

After a moment, he started again.

"He came at me for no real reason that I could see - or rather _can _still see. We were both rookies. We didn't have a need to fight. But during the duel, he kept saying somethin' about how I was stoppin' him from 'being the best'. We both managed to get a few lucky shots at one anoth'ah, him more tryin' to actually kill me and me defendin' myself."

"Wow," Mallory marveled. "He just turned on you like that? I mean, I know you said before when we first found Falcone's feather at the museum that he was part of the Brotherhood, but I didn't know he went that route that early on."

"Believe it," Duke answered. "Though the leader at the time wasn't too happy about what happened after our assignment."

"What happened?" asked Mallory.

"Well, like I said, I was tryin' to defend myself more than strike him," Duke said. "I knew that if I did strike him like he was me, I could'a been killed by the mob leaders...or worse - have to go through training again for another few years.

"Aft'ah a few more hits, Falcone thought it would be fun to set the alarm off. So he did, running off with the fallen item we were supposed to steal. I ran aft'ah him, and managed to corner him on the roof. Both of us had our blades drawn, then…"

Mallory waited a few moments. When Duke didn't continue, she said, "Then what happened?"

Duke sighed. "I dunno how, but that son of a Saurian had 'acquired' a blade that only mast'ahs of the guild have," he answered. When he saw her questioning look about the blade part, he said, "When one is given their first assignment, they go with limited tools, and certainly don't have the kind of blades they get later. They aren't given a sword or saber like mine until after they finish the assignment successfully.

"Anyway, that overgrown chicken pulled out a blade that only mast'ahs are allowed. He sliced open my left leg from my knee to thigh. Then he thought it would be…fun…to cut off some of my bill. Somethin' about a reminder about our 'first assignment'."

The ex-thief sighed again, allowing Mallory to soak up all this information.

"The next thing I rememb'ah was wakin' up in the Brotherhood's infirmary," he finally said, but in a quieter voice. "The doc runnin' it at the time told me that 'my part'nah' had given a full account of what happened at the museum we were at. Meaning they got to hear about how 'Falcone' stole the item and 'rescued' me from the guards that were aft'ah us. The only thing the doc could nev'ah figure out was how I had gotten the slash on my leg or the chip in my bill. Turns out Falcone had hidden or ditched the blade he had used against me.

"So, the leader thought I wasn't ready. But since I was hurt - and the injury _was _pretty deep - I wasn't reprimanded for anything. They tested my skills again after I could easily walk on my own and I passed." Duke grunted. "But it wasn't my leg that both'ahed me all that time. It was my bill. It both'ahed me because every mornin' after that, I had to look in the mirror and see the reminder of that scoundrel. And I had to encounter Falcone a few more times before he finally left the guild for whateva he started to do aft'ah that."

Silence took over after he finished.

Finally, Mallory said, "Duke, I-I never would've thought-"

"It's s'alright Mal," he said.

"No! No it's not!" she exclaimed. "Why didn't you tell the leader about what _really _happened?"

"How _could _I?" Duke asked. "Three days had already gone by when I woke up in the infirmary. The story was known throughout the entire guild about 'Falcone's success' by that time. I really did think about it for a minute or two, but when I did see the leader after I was finally released from the infirmary on crutches, he was saying how 'disappointed' he was in me and that I should watch how Falcone's career would progress."

_**RVRVRVRVRVRVRV**_

As Mallory made her way towards the kitchen a bit later, she thought about what Duke had told her.

His story _did _explain a lot; the chip in his bill, why he sometimes walked with a slight limp after some of their harder hockey games or fights with Dragaunus, or even why he felt the need to corner Falcone on his own. If she had known _any _of that story he had just told her before the whole incident with Falcone stealing the world's biggest jewels, Mallory wouldn't have accused Duke of what he did after finding that -falcon's - feather, because then she might have actually known what the ex-thief's motive was.

_Guess I ought to make something special for dinner tonight,_ Mallory thought, a feeling of guilt hanging on her. And since it was her day to make the team's meals, she thought that Duke might appreciate something nice.


	6. Wildwing's Explanation

HALLO. Well, we're coming to an end of this story...or are we?

P.S. Warning for some Duke OOC-ness...or maybe just something people wouldn't see of him...I dunno anymore...

Disclaimer: I don't own MD:TAS. If I did, I'd be rich

* * *

"Hey Duke, you awake?"

"Yeah Wing, I'm awake."

The leader of the group walked into the room, a smile greeting Duke. "So how're you feeling?" he asked. "Any better than earlier?"

Duke grinned a little. "Yeah, a bit," he answered.

Wing pulled up the chair that everyone was using during the day and sat backwards in it. "Something's…different about you," he said, after a few moments. "What happened today?"

"Not a whole lot," the ex-thief said. "Watched a movie with the kid, talked with Grin and Mallory about life, and did a crossword with Tanya."

Flashblade smirked. "Then why do you seem like you have had some kind of burden released from your shoulders?" he asked.

Duke grinned and shrugged. "I got to thank a few people and was able to spend another day of life with my friends," he answered. "I hadn't really thought about it until now." The ex-thief looked to Wildwing, his smile becoming more genuine. "Y'know, if you hadn't of let Dive donate blood, I wouldn't be he'ah right now."

Wildwing held up his hands. "Don't thank me, he volunteered all on his own," he said, smiling. He lowered his hands. "The thought hadn't even crossed my mind to stop him from helping. If it had, I probably still would've let him help you."

"One of the qualities that makes ya a great lead'ah," L'Orange said. Wildwing just looked at him oddly. "Helpin' otha'ahs, no matt'ah what," Duke explained.

"…I do what I can," Wing said sheepishly.

"I know ya do," Duke said, his smile coming down a bit.

A few moments of silence went on before either spoke again. "Hey Wing?"

"What is it?"

"Can…can I ask ya somethin' that's been on my mind?"

Wildwing looked puzzled. "I guess so," he answered. "What's up?"

Duke looked away before asking. "Did you guys really doubt me that much?"

The leader paused for a moment, not sure how to answer. "Are you asking if I doubted you or if everyone did?" he finally asked.

"Both."

Wildwing took a deep breath, then let it out. "I…I did," he admitted. "But I didn't think you had any ideas of changing sides until we found Nosedive and Tanya in that vault."

He saw Duke wince a little, and the leader knew it wasn't from any injury he had.

"But I still had the thought that you must've had something in your head," Wing continued. "Some kind of plan or something to find out what was going on."

Duke looked back at him. "Why's that?"

"Because the Duke I've come to know over the past year wouldn't have changed sides to work for Dragaunus," Wildwing said. "You're more than just an ex-thief; you're a friend, a great hockey player, and an even better fighter. Plus, you've helped out me and Dive more times than I can count. Someone like you wouldn't go back to a life of crime unless it was for a _very _good reason."

The former jewel thief let this sink in for a moment. He then smiled a little. "Somehow, that makes me feel a little bett'ah," he said. But he frowned again. "The oth'ahs thought I had turned though, didn't they?"

"Mallory did, but you knew that already," Wildwing answered. "Tanya only thought you had when she hot-wired the camera in the vault she and Nosedive were stuck in at the Pacific Museum."

"What about the Grin and the kid?"

Wildwing paused. "I think Grin knew from the beginning that you didn't have any real motive to switch sides," he said. "I only say that because the whole time he was saying stuff like-"

"-I had to make peace with my past?"

"Yeah, pretty much. Dive told me later that he had always thought that you hadn't gone bad and had some reason for doing what you did."

Duke smiled sadly, averting his gaze. "Nice to know the kid at least had faith in me," he said, more to himself than Wildwing.

The unmasked leader sighed. "I-I'm sorry Duke," he said. "I should've had the same kind of faith in you that Dive did. But…I guess I let my role as leader and the need to find out Dragaunus' plan was get in the way of that."

Duke looked back to his leader. "Like I said back at the clocktow'ah, I _was _hurt by the lack of trust, but I can't stay mad at you guys." He then smiled a little. "You're all the closest I got to a family. How can I stay mad at those who I consider family?"

Wildwing grinned. "It's nice to know that you feel that way," he said. "Because I think we all have that 'familial' feeling."

"It's kinda obvious with you and Dive."

"Maybe because we actually _are _brothers?" Wildwing suggested jokingly. "But think about it; no matter what's happened to any of us since we came to this planet, we've all taken on some kind of role. We've helped each other, on and off the ice. I mean, c'mon, Dive gave you blood because you had helped Tanya fix him up when he got appendicitis."

"That sounds more like he owed me or somethin'," Duke said.

"It's more than that," Wing said. "He looks up to you."

"He looks up to you more than me."

"I don't think that's necessarily true," Wildwing countered. "He looks up to me because I'm his older brother and we're pretty much the only family each other has. But he looks up to you because you're the cool, older drake of our group who's probably got a million stories about the Brotherhood or anything else."

The ex-thief laughed a little, but not without hurting his chest a little. He stopped, placing his right hand over his chest, a hint of pain on his face. "You alright Duke?" Wing asked.

"Yeah, I'm alright," the other answered. "It still hurts to laugh sometimes is all." After a few moments, he took his hand away. "So what oth'ah things make ya think that we have a 'familial' feel?"

_**RVRVRVRVRVRVRV**_

Wildwing left a little later, heading towards the kitchen. It was almost dinnertime, and he was going to help Mallory carry whatever she made to Duke's room.

It had become a ritual since the ex-thief had woken up for the team to all eat together, since that was how they usually ate dinner. It had felt…weird when they had eaten at all odd hours of the evening when their injured friend was comatose, so they felt it only right if they ate with Duke after he had come out of his unconscious state.

The older Flashblade sighed. He hadn't thought about it before tonight just how hurt Duke had been emotionally about the team not trusting him.

But then again, he was an expert on keeping up facades when need-be.

So all Wildwing could do was try to make up for that one moment of doubt he had for their teammate. He would do anything he could in order to make Duke feel better about the situation if he had to.


	7. Duke's Evening Musings

Hey again! Very short epilogue here to end the story out, since the whole thing takes place during one day. I felt it only appropriate so...enjoy! (though it is short)

P.S. Would a duck eating a chicken be considered cannibalism?

Disclaimer: I don't own MD:TAS. If I did, I'd be rich

* * *

EPILOGUE

Duke relaxed against the doubled pillows, feeling…content.

Today had felt more like a day with family, and that made the ex-thief happy. And just like he had told Wildwing, he had gotten to thank the others and spend another day with his teammates.

Though it was a little odd, Duke took his arm out of the sling again, looking at the signatures on it. For some reason, it comforted him to see the different taglines from each of the different team members.

Maybe Wildwing was right; maybe they _had _become more of a family in the past year than they thought.

_I mean, c'mon, they bring dinn'ah every night and eat with me,_ Duke thought, smiling. Tonight's dinner had been a favorite of his since they all had been to Earth: baked potato soup with a chicken salad filled croissant (sounds odd doesn't it? Duke thought it had too, considering it was a bird as well, but the second he had tasted it after arriving on Earth, he fell in love with it.)

So they had all come together again that night, joking, laughing, Mallory almost screaming at Nosedive for whatever prank he had pulled on her again, etc. And Tanya had taken the ex-thief's temperature again and proclaimed that it was down to one hundred, as opposed to the one hundred and two degrees he was at earlier that morning.

Besides feeling better physically, Duke felt better emotionally. He wasn't one to normally wear his heart on his sleeve, but sometimes it was all one could do after the kind of stuff someone had been through. And he was glad that Wildwing had told him what he had about the trust issues during the Falcone incident and how the leader thought they had all become a family after arriving on Earth. It made the former bandit feel better about his own issues.

So Duke put his arm back in its sling, lay back on the pillows, falling into a deep sleep while feeling the happiest he had in a long time.


End file.
